Decorative shoe lace keeper



Oct. 10, 1967 A, M, Rm 3,345,707

DECORATIVE SHOE LACE KEEPER Filed Nov. 16, 1964 INVTOR.

United States Patent 3,345,707 DECORATIVE SHOE LACE KEEPER Albert M.Rita, 120 2nd Ave., Altoona, Pa. 16601 Filed Nov. 16, 1964, Ser. No.411,239 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-120) This invention relates to a connector forshoe laces and one of its objects is to provide a device with which shoelaces may be neatly secured when tightened through the lacing eyelets ofthe shoe, so that the laces will not become loose or untied afterwalking or running, and the tied ends of the laces will always appearneat and attractive.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disc lace keeper havingholes to receive the lace ends and slots extending to the edge of thekeeper to permit of quick and easy insertion of the lace tips in thesereceiving holes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lace end keeper havinga hard center of plastic material or porcelain, and a spring lever whichextends across the keeper and maintains tension against the lace ends sothat they will retain their initial position in the lace keeper, thelatter being provided with receiving holes to separate and hold the laceends in place.

With the above and other objects in view the invention relates tocertain new and useful constructions, combinations and arrangements ofparts, clearly described in the following specification of theaccompanying drawings, which shows the construction of m-y'invention;and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe, showing my invention applied tocontrol the laces.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lace keeper showing the lace controlholes and the entrance slots thereof.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the keeper.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof, partly in elevation.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the lace keeper.

FIG. 6 is a detail perspective view of the keeper.

FIG. 7 is a detail edge view of the keeper, showing the lace endsextended through the keeper.

FIG. 8 is another similar view of the keeper.

FIG. 9 is a third similar view of the keeper, showing a bow knot tiedover the keeper.

FIG. 10 is a detailed perspective view of a spring clutch for the laceends.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the keeper, showing the use of a pivotedspring clamping lever and its latch.

FIG. 12 is a detail side view thereof, showing the end of the springlever engaged with the latch in a restrained relation to the keeper andthe lace ends disposed on the keeper.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which show the practicalembodiment of my invention, 10 designates a shoe of conventionalconstruction, having an upper provided with a right wing 10a and a leftwing 10b, each wing being equipped with lacing eyelets 11, suitablysecured thereto in spaced relation to each other. As is well known, theflexible fabric or other laces 12 are threaded through the eyelets andsecured by a bow or other type of knot, and frequently become looseafter the user walks or runs, and the laces will then often depend fromthe uppers and result in accidents to the shoe wearer, besides giving anunattractive appearance to the wearer.

3,345,707 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 To control the lace ends I provide acircular keeper 14, with two lace receiving through holes 14a and 14b,which are spaced apart from each other in the central portion of thekeeper. This keeper may be made of porcelain, hard plastic or other wearresisting material which is commonly used for buttons and the like, andis formed with entrance slots 15 and 16, leading from the edge of thecircular keeper to the holes 14:: and 14b, so that quick insertion ofthe lace ends is made possible.

A metal rim 17 may be fitted 011 the keeper disc 14, and secured theretoin any manner found best for the purpose, and for this purpose thismetal rim may be formed with an L-shaped edge portion 17, which may befolded over the edges of the disc 14.

A lever arm 18, preferably of spring metal, is pivoted by the pin orrivet 19 to the lace keeper 14, and extends across the keeper and theprotecting metal ring or rim 17, and is formed with a downwardly bentforward end portion 18a, which is disposed against the edge of the metalrim or ring and is adapted to be moved under the latch finger 20, formedon the metal rim or ring.

This spring lever is moved to latching position over the how knot 21,which is formed with the lace ends over the keeper, as shown in FIG. 9.

The spring lever holds the lace ends against the keeper and the keeperprovides a base for clamping the lace ends in place, so that walking orrunning or other movements of the feet and legs will not have aloosening action on the lace knot, and the shoe will retain its dressappearance throughout the time it is worn. To untie the laces, thespring lever is shifted from latched position and the lace knot isslipped in the usual manner, and the keeper is withdrawn from itsconnection with the lace ends.

It is understood that various changes may be made in the construction ofthe invention as shown, without departing from the defined scope of theinvention, set forth by the claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe lace keeper adapted to retain laces in a desired tiedcondition, said keeper comprising a hollow member having a pair of lacereceiving apertures extending through the bottom surface thereof andjoined to a pair of opposed lace receiving slots extending through edgesurfaces thereof, said hollow member having resilient lace engagingmeans disposed therein and formed from a substantially integral lengthof wire associated with said slots and dimensioned so as to frictionallyretain end portions of the laces within the said slots to preventinadvertent untying of the lace ends, said keeper having means securedto the top surface thereof and adapted to engage the knot of the saidtied laces to prevent inadvertent movement of the knot relative to thekeeper.

2. A keeper for shoe laces comprising a bottom member which is providedwith a bottom wall and a bounding edge disposed at an angle theretowhich is adapted to fit on and into the said bottom member, said bottommember being provided with lace receiving openings in its bottom walland a top member having lace receiving slots in the top wall thereofwhich extend into the bounding edge thereof so as to permit the laces tobe extended through said bottom member and tied in a holding knot abovethe top member, said top member having a spring latching arm pivotedthereto, the said arm being adapted to extend over and against the saidlaces when tied with said holding knot, and said top member beingfurther provided with a keeper element to hold said pivoted latch inpressure relation to the tied laces when said latching arm is swungthereagainst.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 882,701 3/1908 Lo-ller 24-119 4FOREIGN PATENTS DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Examiner.

2. A KEEPER FOR SHOE LACES COMPRISING A BOTTOM MEMBER WHICH IS PROVIDEDWITH A BOTTOM WALL AND A BOUNDING EDGE DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE THERETOWHICH IS ADAPTED TO FIT ON AND INTO THE SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, SAID BOTTOMMEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH LACE RECEIVING OPENINGS IN ITS BOTTOM WALLAND A TOP MEMBER HAVING LACE RECEIVING SLOTS IN THE TOP WALL THEREOFWHICH EXTEND INTO THE BOUNDING EDGE THEREOF SO AS TO PERMIT THE LACES TOBE EXTENDED THROUGH SAID BOTTOM MEMBER AND TIED IN A HOLDING KNOT ABOVETHE TOP MEMBER, SAID TOP MEMBER HAVING A SPRING LATCHING ARM PIVOTEDTHERETO, THE SAID ARM BEING ADAPTED TO EXTEND OVER AND AGAINST THE SAIDLACES WHEN TIED WITH SAID HOLDING KNOT, AND SAID TOP MEMBER BEINGFURTHER PROVIDED WITH A KEEPER ELEMENT TO HOLD SAID PIVOTED LATCH INPRESSURE RELATION TO THE TIED LACES WHEN SAID LATCHING ARM IS SWUNGTHEREAGAINST.